Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher offered his assessment of Manchester City’s opening goal in the recent 1-1 draw between the two teams. While Carragher criticized two Liverpool players for their performance, he spared goalkeeper Alisson from the blame in Erling Haaland’s opening goal.
Liverpool traveled to the Etihad Stadium with a poor record, having not won a league match there since 2015. The visitors started positively and created a few chances for Darwin Núñez. However, it was Manchester City who took the lead in the 27th minute.
Alisson had possession of the ball and attempted to find Mohamed Salah to initiate a counter-attack. Unfortunately, the Brazilian’s kick went awry and did not reach Salah. Nathan Aké pounced on the loose ball and embarked on a skillful run, evading both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai. Aké then delivered a perfect pass to Haaland on the edge of the 18-yard box, who calmly slotted it past Alisson.
Carragher acknowledged Alisson’s initial error but shifted the focus to Alexander-Arnold and Szoboszlai, suggesting they could have done better to prevent Aké’s run. During half-time analysis on Sky Sports, Carragher stated: “Well Liverpool had possession and Alisson goes to try and put Mo Salah through. There’s no problem with that… But from a Liverpool point of view, they’ve got to do better… A great finish.”
Former player Micah Richards agreed with Carragher’s assessment that Liverpool should have handled the situation more effectively. However, Richards also praised the contributions of both Aké and Haaland in executing the goal.
Alexander-Arnold redeemed himself later in the match by scoring the equalizer for Liverpool in the 80th minute with a well-placed shot from just inside the 18-yard box. The Reds held on to secure a point, keeping pace with Manchester City at the top of the table.
